Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 1023
NGC 1023 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Perseus, 29.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Perseus |
| Distance | 29.7 million light-years (9.10 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 89,800 light-years · 1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.48 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 9.32 |
| Luminosity | 0.68 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 40m 24.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +39° 03′ 48″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 9.32. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 51° S. North of latitude 51° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in October, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 30 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 526.5 billion years.